live from stud yoi 7 at cnn world headquarters, the big stories for wednesday, the first day of september, after seven years of war, new day for iraq. the united states formally hands over control of the country and steps into the background. >> it means we have done well and worked ourselves out of a job, which is what we came here to do. >> no job, the battle many war vets are fighting once they get home. now a jobs boot camp tries to give them an edge. >> with the military, we are good at managing chaos, and we thrive in chaos. in small business, that's what it's about. family schools forced into a u-turn. the education secretary's plan for a classroom turnaround puts teachers' jobs and schools themselves on the line. >> i'm not willing to say this is going to take us ten years. the school has been so underperforming for so long that the kids don't have time.

>> our focus on fixing our schools continues. i'm tony harris. those stories and your comments right here right now in the cnn newsroom. let's gets started with the latest on hurricane earl. the powerful storm is on an ever so steady track toward the u.s. east coast. by tomorrow night or early friday, it is expected to be off north carolina's outer banks. mandatory evacuations already in place along parts of the north carolina coast, and with labor day just ahead, hurricane earl could disrupt plans for millions of people. cnn is your hurricane headquarters. let's check in with jacqui je s jeras. >> we have big changes. we are still at 125-mile-per-hour winds. category 3 storm. about 750 miles or so away from the coastline. the storm's intensity has been

holding steady and we do expect a major hurricane to be very near the outer banks of enernor carolina. hurricane warnings have been issued for east coast of the u.s. from north carolina northeast ward to the north carolina/virginia border. the hurricane watch has been adjusted northward and extends from the state line there up to delaware. you can see that there. and we also have tropical storm warnings that have been issued from cape fear westward. that's including a much greater area here, warning people they need to be prepared for the storm. if you are in the warning area now, you need to rush everything you need to do before the hurricane arrives. rush to completion. make sure you have the three-supplies of food and water as well as batteries. your noaa weather radio because you could lose power.

let's show you the latest forecast track. i don't think this has changed at all. it looks the same as the last advisory. i will read the discussion and see if there are notes if there but it looks the same, and the timing looks the same as well. the category 3 storm moving in. we will continue to monitor the situation. the winds getting rough. we are seeing live pictures of the carolinas, and you mentioned the rip currents with the holiday weekend pfr this is not a great beach weekend. maybe monday go to the beach but not go into the water would be my recommendations. you can see the probabilities of those hurricane force winds along the coast and the tropical storm force winds. look how far inland, over to philadelphia and portland, maine. this impacting a lot of people. >> let's treat this as a breaking news situation. as you gets any additional information, changes in path,

dynamics, wind speed, let us know. >> they are flying into it right now. we could get new data at any time. >> rip currents, as jacqui mentioned, concern along the east coast as hurricane earl heads that way. we will check in with rob marciano in this hour. other big stories we are following this hour in the cnn newsroom -- the u.s. vice president, defense secretary and joint chiefs chairman in iraq today for a change of command ceremony. it marks the formal end of u.s. combat operations. remaining u.s. troops now in support roles. >> today is a new dawn in our relationship with the government of iraq. we can no longer dwell on our past accomplishments but must remain focused on the tremendous opportunity at hand. iraq has always played a vital

role in this uncertain part of the globe. a strong democratic iraq and an equal partner in the united states can become an engine for peace and stability in the middle east. >> today was the last day on the job for that man, the top american commander in iraq, general ray odierno. lisa murkowski is throwing in the tea towel. she conceded the republican nomination to joe miller. murkowski was trailing by more than 1600 votes. miller is considered the favorite in the fall. paper for plastic? shoppers still have that option in california. a bill to ban that option statewide went down. plastic bags harm the ecosystem, and opponents called the bill a job killer. launching a new round of direct middle east peace talks, president obama meeting right now with israeli prime minister

benjamin netanyahu. later he will meet separately with palestinian president mahmoud abbas. suzanne malveaux joins us. i haven't had a real sense of whether expectations were high, low, or nonexistent for this summit, but the chief palestinian negotiator put down a marker last hour saying it is not time for more talks. it is time for decisions to be taken. let's listen to a little bit of that sound and then i'll have you comment on it. >> now it's time not for negotiations. it's time for decisions. we know, palestinians and israelis know today, that all issues are doable, including jerusalem, refugees, security, et cetera, and they require decisions. palestinians and israelis know that they don't need to eat the apple from the start. they don't need to reinvent the wheel. palestinians and israelis know

that if not this year, next year, in ten years' time it will be a two-step solution on the 1967 lines. palestine next to the state of israel. and the difference in time here is how many lives of israelis palestinians will be saved. >> suzanne at least from one side of this summit we have clear expectations. >> reporter: well, certainly the palestinians and the palestinian side, they're saying that they are recognizing the security issues, and that is a big concern among the israelis, because the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu who is with the president now in the oval office, has made it clear that security is first and foremost before any of the final status issues will be talked about it. on the palestinian side, they say, we recognize that security is important but we think everything should be put on the table, including, borders, refugees, the state of jerusalem, all of that together. there is clearly already a split between these two sides, but the important thing is the security

aspect. i have been speaking with a palestinian source traveling with mahmoud abbas, and he tells me yesterday with secretary of state hillary clinton met with abbas to try to set the stage for the talks, and both of them found out at the same time about an attack that happen eed hamas against four israeli settlers. abbas felt it was undermining the talks, but out a written statement condemning the attacks, and then we saw secretary clinton coming out as well making it very clear that they do not want this to undermine what is takes pla today. take a listen, tony. >> we pledge to do all we can, always, to protect and defend the state of israel and to provide security to the israeli people. that is one of the paramount

objectives that israel has and the united supports in these negotiations. >> reporter: so, tony, it was actually rather rare that you have mahmoud abbas putting out that written statement, condemning the attack against the israeli settlers because from their opinion, their pointed of view, it's illegal to have the settlers there in the first place but he doesn't want to be weakened back at home and wants the talks to move forward in a very legitimate and earnest way. >> suzanne malveaux at the white house for us. thank you. turning around a troubled school, part of cnn's week-long focus on america's classrooms in crisis. today we head to boston to see how one of government's interventions is working. >> the markets, a nice little run-up. 236 points. we are following the dow, the nasdaq, the markets for you throughout the morning right here in the cnn newsroom.

fix our schools. those three words will drive much of what you see on cnn this

week because as america's children return to school, cnn has a mission. we sent reporting teams across the country to document the education crisis around america, and most importantly, to shine a light on success stories that can empower us to offer our children so much more than they're getting now. today we go inside a boston school where the principal has just 36 months to make the government's turnaround plan work. >> just a quick question. >> reporter: andrew has a lot of questions he must answer. >> i know this sounds crazy. >> our server is down again. >> reporter: as the incoming principal of orchard gardens, he is charged with rescuing this school. >> right now, if nothing were to change, anywhere from 75 to 85% of our students are not on track to get a high school diploma. when you throw science in, 1% of the students scored proficient on science.

they are not on track to get a high school diploma. and we have a lot to do. >> reporter: more than 2,000 schools nationally are now undergoing turnarounds, intervention plans designed by education secretary arne duncan. this principal was hand-picked to lead the job and he now has three years to make his failing school successful, starting with $3.7 million in competitive grants he will use to extend the school day. >> it helps us cover the cost of teacher and teamer aide salaries to for extending the school day. >> reporter: the turnaround plan mandates replacing at least half the staff. >> ultimately, i had to hire nearly 80 people. we asked teachers for their data so that we could see their track record, and we really pursued people who had a proven track record of success. >> we've had a new principal

every one to two years since this school opened seven years ago. >> reporter: jennifer deal was one of the teachers let go. >> it's a little emotional so i'm going to do my best here. it made you feel very unappreciated. so it wasn't really fair. >> it's something that i certainly lost a lot of sleep over because i fundamentally believe that the quality of teachers will make the biggest difference in our students' education. so, really, the pressure is on me. if i get this wrong, the turnaround won't work. >> reporter: some critics say that's what's wrong with the federal turnaround solution. the teachers are replaced but the problems persist. it is easy to blame teachers. >> i'm turning over the staff. i'm turning over the school administration. the school has been through this pretty much every year since it opened. i'm not willing to wait for the school to improve. i'm not willing to say this is

going to take us ten years. the school has been so underperforming for so long. >> reporter: massive curriculum overhaul is required. he is letting the staff lead the changes. >> i would like one performance play. >> we are teaching them. >> reporter: while the hallways are still empty, they race to finalize the details. school starts in boston on september 8th. >> how do we roll out the information about cell phones? >> reporter: if he fails, the school fails. ultimately, his goals are elementary. >> a dramatic increase in school performance. i think it's within reason that we can 75 to 80s. passing and increase our proficiency 25%. >> reporter: the question for andrew and other principals across the country -- will turnaround schools work?

now that we've heard from a principal, we turn to the students. how are they juggling getting an education with being a kid. >> you have to organize time to have fun. >> students tell us about their responsibilities, their responsibilities, in their education. a new dawn in iraq, a ceremony marks a transition from combat to a support role. u.s. troops reflect on the change. built with quality and backed with the best coverage in america including a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. that's 40,000 more miles than ford. chevy silverado half-ton. a consumers digest best buy and the most dependable, longest lasting full-size pickups on the road. now get 0% apr for 72 months on 2010 silverado half-ton models with an average finance savings around $5,800. this site has a should i try priceline instead?

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operation iraqi freedom gives way to operation new dawn. vice president joe biden and defense secretary robert gates presided over the ceremony in baghdad today. it symbolized the beginning of a new role for the american troops. we look at the what the transition mean force u.s. troops. >> reporter: now it's official. american troops who once led missions now assist iraqi forces. what does september 1st mean to you? >> to me it means we have done well and worked ourself out a job. >> it means i'm not going to

have to come back. >> reporter: september 1st means more work for some american flight crews. especially those flying blackhawks. >> we're answer the only support aircraft here since we had chinooks that were here and they just recently left, so it's picked up for us. >> reporter: the first full day of new dawn is especially poignant for soldiers who were here through years of fighting operation iraqi freedom. >> i have been here, you know, four tours, and the change i have seen is remarkable. >> reporter: this staff sergeant was part of the invasion of iraq in 2003 and deployed twice during the most brutal fighting. >> it was really crazy for a couple years but now i look back and it's a breath taking difference. >> it is a significant thing for soldiers to see iraqis he trained two years ago and they weren't that well trained and aggressive, now to come back and see them doing operations on their own and we're following

them, he's getting pay back for the time he spent here. >> reporter: more than 4,400 troops died, and another 34,000 were wounded fighting operation iraqi freedom. when you look back at your experience in '05, '06, '07, it was it worth can. >> absolutely. a lot of soldiers made sacrifices here. soldiers' faces and people i worked with, if their sacrifice is worth where we're going, we're doing the right thing. >> reporter: some american troops are month optimistic about the future than many iraqi people themselves, but the soldiers did tell me a lot of the good will they're feeling right now will completely disappear if iraq slides back into chaos again. chris lawrence, cnn. going from the armed forces to the workforce can be a challenge for troops returning from war. next hour, a conversation with a director from an ohio-based

employment service that caters exclusively to veterans transitioning to civilian life. hurricane warning and mandatory evacuations for parts of north carolina's outer banks. hurricane earl is expected to brush the coast on friday. jacqui jeras will be here shortly. middle east diplomacy all day at the white house. he meets with the leaders of israel, palestinian territories, jordan and egypt. the direct talks, first in two years, begin tomorrow at the state department. dutch police are holding two united airlines passengers who arrived from chicago. officials say the travellers from yemen had suspicious items in their luggage. u.s. officials have played down any link to terror, but the dutch appear to be taking the incident as a serious threat. as we are bringing you news from around the world, we are watching what's hot on the web.

ines ferre is surfing the web. a new take on the little black dress. this is wireless and a dress, and also a cell phone. it's both. all you have to do is lift your arm and say hello. that simple. you're watching cnn newsroom. owh just got more powerful. introducing precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving heat patch activates sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals for deep penetrating relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol. (voice 2) how bad is it? (voice 1) traffic's off the chart... (voice 2) they're pinging more targets... (voice 3) isolate... prevent damage...

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all right, cnn is your hurricane headquarters. you know, i have a lot of

information i could share, but better to get over here. you've got a lot to show us. this a very dangerous storm. >> it is. >> i need to get as close as i can so i can see it. >> have your finger on the pulse of what's going on here. i want to give folks who haven't been paying attention the latest stats on earl so everybody knows where it is at and what it's doing. 125 maximum sustained winds. that's a category 3 storm, a major hurricane. this is the bahamas. they are so lucky that this is as bad as it's going to get for them for the most part and pulling on away. there are a whole bunch of buoys out there. look at one of the buoys very near where earl is right now and it gives us these readings. you don't have to look at all of the lines but i want to point out a couple of things. the red line you see there, that's the wind speed. look at how the wind speed goes

up, peaking at 85 knots or so, 100-mile-per-hour winds it recorded and notice how it dropped. the other thing, this green line, this is the pressure. look at how that pressure just bottoms way down. that's how we know where that hurricane is and what it's doing and what some of that structure is. interesting information just coming in there. here are the watches and warnings. we're able to get that on a graphic to help you under who is under a warning and a watch. a warning means hurricane conditions can be expected in 36 hours or less. we're expecting the worst of the weather to hit the north carolina coast thursday night into friday morning. it will be overnight when you are sleeping, so think about where you are sleeping and your plans and prepared to have food and water for a couple of days and no power potentially as well. you could see the hurricane force conditions coming in with winds over 75 miles per hour. whether or not it will make

landfall, it's a close call. those models bring it up close to the edge of cape hatteras and stretching to the north. you folks in new england, it is also likely to get close to nantucket. you will see the rip currents up and down the coast. we have this live cam out of kill devil hills, north carolina, and take a look at the waves which have been rolling in. we have a red flag flying there. rip currents a problem with the holiday weekend. people need to stay out of the water. if the weather looks good, and waves will still be rough up and down the eastern seaboard. >> don't wait until the last minute. you said it, make your plans and get out of there early. >> if you are in a place where you are unfamiliar with, and in the path of the storm, don't go there. juggling school, homework

and extracurricular activities. students talk about taking part in their education while still finding time to be young people. >> you have to set an organized time to have fun. >> lessons in responsibility, part of our fixing our schools. there's no way to hide it. sir, have you been drinking tonight? if you ride drunk, you will get caught... and you will get arrested. when something's safe? you talk to these guys. they go through every car and truck we make with a big fat red pencil. because they know a family's going to be inside. a teenager.

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we've talked about the role of teachers improving the

education in the united states. as we continue our week-long focus "fix our schools" we talk with students about what they can do to make the most of their education. carl azuz zets the conversation going. >> reporter: how many of you feel that what you get out of your education is on you what can students do to get a better education? >> i believe you take a.p. classes and honors classes. >> reporter: you think students should push themselves? >> i have noticed that some students probably wouldn't last in an a.p. class. i wouldn't say they don't have the capability to learn but you have to push yourself to learn. >> students need to take it upon themselves to attend student sessions and go to the teacher and ask for help. >> i think simply raising your hand in class and saying something and taking an active role in just a single class helps you stay more involved.

>> don't just put your education in a little box at school. go above and beyond that. >> reporter: how many are involved in extracurricular activities? how do you deal with the pressure of keeping up in your afterschool involvement and maintaining good grades? >> it is always about prioritizing, because even though i go to a performing arts school, my academics come first. >> just knowing i can't be everywhere at one time. a lot of people want to be at basketball and soccer and cross country at one time. >> i do homework waiting in line at the store, in the car, anywhere i can to finish up the last little bit of homework. >> reporter: with everything you are doing, how do you have fun? >> my personal really close friends have gone way over on the overachieving side, president of five clubs and six different languages. there's a point where they're childhood is being affected. >> entering my senior year, i

told myself i was going to be involved in things i like doing. i have time management down and i'm a lot better balanced. so it's a whole lot easier with so many a.p. classes. it's great to have that overall feeling of being balanced. >> reporter: sounds like time management is central to all of you in your success. >> it sounds weird but you have to set an organized time to have friend. if you know your best friend's birthday party is next weekend, do not plan to go to a rehearsal. >> i make it a point to make sure my weekends are for me. >> reporter: jeez you guys are so much like the adults i know. we had a good laugh about that that i have to plan with my adult friends several months in advance. you and i remember being in high school and we had more free time. >> i clowned. i'm not kidding. i don't think these young people

today, given everything we report today on the economy and how competitive the workforce is, you are not competing against guys in ladies in your neighborhood. in our generation, we felt that we had a birth right, wrongly, but we felt that way. worst case scenario, we could go to gm and get a job. >> to get into college, with so many folks going back to school in a recession, a lot of students feel a pressure to overachieve and take on the activities and in some senses to act fis their childhood to be able to compete more effectively in a much more competitive world. i love that they feel they have to go to school. i've got to hold the system accountable. i have to get something out of this, but i need the system to deliver for me. i'm wondering if the parents are involved as well? >> that is what we're going to talk about tomorrow. some of them have the parents

110% behind them and others are saying they are not involved which makes it more challenging in their schooling. >> i tell my kids, you better go get it. >> take command. >> go get it! >> thank you, sir. >> inspiring kindergarten students to strive for college and helping them pay for it. >> how much money is this? >> $10. >> and do you think if you go to college, do you think it costs more than $10? probably, huh? you need a lot of these to go to college? >> a college savings account for every kindergartner courtesy of san francisco taxpayers? troops come back home and now they're looking for jobs. we'll show you how one vet is helping others get into the workforce. ♪ yes! ♪

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hurricane earl on track toward the east coast this hour. cnn is your hurricane headquarters, and here's the latest for you. earl is still hundreds of miles off the east coast. mandatory evac weighings are already in places along the

north carolina shoreline. president obama is keeping a close watch on what's happening. he spoke by phone with the fema chief. earl is expected to sweep up the east coast, stirring up dangerous waves. here's reporter mark wagner with our affiliate whdh on the massachusetts coast. >> reporter: harry hansen pulling his boat out of the water after the chatham boat master warned about hurricane earl is making its way up. >> i was here during hurricane bob, and it took every boat off the mooring and through it up on the beach. >> we have a saying down here, when it doubt, haul it out. >> reporter: big surf and rib currents at this beach, vacationers here waiting to see what earl brings. what are you going to do when the hurricane come swrs. >> play scrabble, monopoly and stay home and enjoy it.

>> i'm going to be here where i'm sitting here. >> reporter: no one knows exactly how close earl will come, but chatham officials say they are watching it closely. >> we will watch how fast the storm is moving, we may have to in some of the low-lying areas around town be encourage people to leave their homes. >> reporter: some vacationers are cutting their stay short. >> we'll probably leave friday morning. >> reporter: because? >> we don't want to get stuck here. >> reporter: cape fisherman say they plan to stay out of the way. >> we will get some effects from it, so we don't take chances. >> when a hurricane like earl is near, you really don't want to risk getting in the water. rip currents a deadly threat. rob marciano is in virginia beach. >> reporter: tony, another beautiful day here along virginia beach, virginia. the waters behind me look beautiful and deceptively calm. the problem is they have had

huge issues with rip currents. hundreds of water rescues over the weekend, not from earl but hurricane danielle, a much smaller storm well out to sea. so with earl coming up, regardless of how close it gets, we will have a problem with rip currents through the weekend. if it makes a jog to the west, we have more than rip currents to worry about. no evacuations here in virginia but across the outer banks in north carolina, they are beginning to evacuate folks there. the issues i have seen here is that people aren't too concerned. it's been a long time since any storm, since hurricane isabelle, so if this does jog to the west, i'm afraid people won't be mentally and physically prepared. >> appreciate it. thank you. top stories, president obama wades into the middle east peace process, kicking off two days of meetings with israelis, palestinians and leaders from across the region.

the chief palestinian goernters says if israel resumes building settlement, they may walk out of the talks. it is an historic day in the iraq war. general lloyd austen takes charge in the start of the military's new advise and assist mission. shaw shaw gabor is back in the hospital. she is 93 and a family spokesman says her current condition is not life-threatening. and i'm like, "oh, promise mommy you'll never ever pick up a cigarette." and brian looked at me at eight years old and said, "promise me you'll quit." i had to quit. ♪ my doctor gave me a prescription for chantix, a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] chantix is a non-nicotine pill. that stays with you all day to help you quit. in studies, 44% of chantix users were quit during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment,

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troops leaving iraq have another battle when they get home. that's finding a job, but one program is helping disabled veterans start their own businesses so they can be their own boss. cnnmoney.com's poppy harlow has that story. >> it blew up and felt like i was hit in the face. >> reporter: that explosion nearly killed brian iglesias. nearly 40,000 american men and women have been injured in iraq and afghanistan. these two men were brought together by war, both veterans and now both entrepreneurs. >> what is entrepreneurship? >> reporter: after serving 14 years in the air force, he became a professor of

entrepreneurship and saw his fellow veterans struggling to find work after returning from war. >> self-employment, entrepreneurship has been a vocational path that the government has virtually ignored when it comes to the transition process for veterans. >> reporter: so what was it like for you looking for work after serving for so long? >> it was probably one of the toughest things i had to go through because you get rejection after rejection after rejection, it gets tough. >> reporter: so haney set out to to change that, starting a boot camp for veterans with disabilities. a free training program for vets that want to start their own businesses. the competition is steep, but vets that make the cut take 40 dateses of online classes and a summer course at one of six universities that signed on. >> the american dream, business ownership. that's the aim of this program. passion is the number one criteria. >> reporter: brian's passion was film and he set out to make

movies, starting his own production company. >> it was that purpose, that mission, we will do it no matter how tired you are, hungry you are, you don't have an option to quit. i don't want to owe anybody any money. i found another veteran. >> brian had no resources. he boot-strapped. that's what we call it in entrepreneurship. he found a why to get his movie made. >> reporter: the result was a documentary about the brutal korean war battle at chosin, and it is being turned into a major film. >> the military, what we are good at is managing chaos. we thrive in chaos. in small business, that's what it is about. as hard and difficult as it wa, it is not as hard as combat. that's the beauty of perspective. >> reporter: at the end of the summer, more than 300 vets will have graduated from the program,

more than 100 businesses have been started. some of those businesses, tony, are already turning over $1 million in revenue a year, major successful businesses here. >> can't see this piece enough. it targets disabled veterans. who does that include? can the newly returning vets from iraq and afghanistan qualify as well? >> reporter: absolutely. i talked to mike haney, the founder of the program yesterday, he said so far so good. they are wrapping up the course. the newly returning vets can apply. it's pretty tough competition. it's important to note, this isn't just veterans with physical disabilities, like brian, they are dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder. this program has now just started and launches in the fall. another part of the program that will help the families and caregivers of disabled vets because often times they're left with having to make the money

for the entire family. they are going to help the vets and families there. you can see more of the story here. we have the full thing on cnn money, tony. >> good good to see you. next up, conversation with a director of the service called recruit military and katers to vets transitions from military to civilian life. hold on a second... come on up here where your brothers sit. [ birds chirping ] wow! did i ever tell you what it was like growing up with four sisters? that sounds fun. yeah...fun for them! [ male announcer ] chevy traverse. a consumers digest best buy. with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. it seats eight comfortably -- not that it always has to.

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i've got to tell you. let's get you to cnnmoney.com. what a robust debate in the commercial break. only recorded that -- well, you can't have it live. take a look at cnnmoney.com. stocks surge over 2% on manufacturing data. i think a lot of folks -- this would come in as a market depressing number, but no. we've got a nice pop here. the dow surging -- let's do a slow reveal on the number, jack. let's take a slow walk and show everyone the good-news number of the morning. the dow. bam. up 249 points. that's a good number. nasdaq. we don't have it up. but i bet that's positive, as well. you know, the rally on wall street comes despite a reading on the health of the jobs

market. employers here in the united states cut thousands of positions. allison so issic on the floor of the new york stock exchanges. good morning, alison. >> good morning, tony. investors are pretty much shrugging off that adp report that you were talking about, and instead focusing on more positive news that's coming out. but you know, the adp report still hard to completely ignore. you know we found out from adp that private employers cut 10,000 jobs last month. that's after we saw a gain of 37,000 jobs in july, so we're clearly going in the wrong direction. it turns out, as well, that large companies are really the only ones that are hiring right now. in fact, the report says that the latest numbers confirm that there's a pause in the recovery. but you know what's interesting here is that we got a really good headline out of china today, finding that chinese manufacturing rebounded in august, and australia's gdp number came in higher than expected. those figures are actually giving hope that there is really a global recovery under way. and that's why we're seeing this

huge pop in the dow right now. the dow up 256 points. and then we also got another pop here in the numbers when we heard about u.s. manufacturing which also rose in august, as well. so i mean, tony, when you look at all of this data together, it's clear that it's conflicting. and bottom line for employers is they see it's conflicting, too, and they're really reticent to hire until they see a continuous growth in the economy that it really has legs, tony. >> what about friday, alison. we have a big jobs report coming out on friday. what with you hearing there on the floor of the stock exchange? >> that's when we get the big jobs report, the labor department comes out with that, the jobs report. it's a better snapshot than the one we got today, because it focuses on the private and public sector, as well. wall street having low expectations on this one, though, tony, they're expecting we're going to lose 120,000 jobs that those were lost in august, and that's after a loss of 130,000 jobs in july.

and they're going to go ahead and attribute most off these jo losses to those temporary census jobs that went away. the unemployment rate is also expected to tick up to 9.6%. and this is how far we are in the hole as far as jobs go, tony. over time, the economy has to create 125,000 to 150,000 jobs a month, just to keep the unemployment rate where it is. so we really have got a long ways to go, tony. >> but the good news number at this hour, alison, what's the number again? >> we're up 254 points. the nasdaq up almost 3%, and can that's really big for the nasdaq today. >> let's enjoy that for a minute. can we? all right, alison, see you next hour. >> you got it. making the transition from military to civilian life. veterans have unique challenges. reentering the private work force. a job fair is trying to help in the next hour of cnn "newsroom." plus, san francisco wants to help public school kids get to college, and they have a pretty unique approach. get them while they're in

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thousands of men and women are coming home from the war in iraq, and families are greeting them with a lot of love, tears and relief. >> dismissed! [ cheers and applause ]

♪ >> this has been a very emotional thing, because i know he's going to look at her and say, this is not the same child. >> i'm just astonished how big she has gotten. i miss my wife and my little one and am glad to be home right now. >> every day is going to be valentine's day the next couple weeks, i'm sure, with him. and hello again, i'm tony harris. top of the hour. here are some of the people mind today's top stories. gassing up, packing up and moving out. hurricane earl forcing thousands of people on the east coast to evacuate. we're tracking the storm. messages and milestones half a mile under the earth. and half being trapped for weeks, the chilean miners get their first hot meals and send messages to anxious loved ones. we are live from chile with

more. you're online right now, and we are too. ines ferre is following what's hot. ines? >> tony, a mexican actress accused of paying a u.s. citizen to marry here. also, a lot of you are weighing in on what you think apple will or won't announce today, tony. >>. let's get started with our lead story, up to speed now on a dangerous and unpredictable storm, hurricane earl, still on track toward the u.s. east coast. a lot of folks are keeping their fingers crossed, hoping it won't be a direct hit. but this is not a storm to fool around with. mandatory evacuations already under way, along parts of the north carolina coast. on the phone with me right now from ok fr from ocracoke island. good to talk to you. give us an assessment of the situation where you are right now. >> reporter: well, everybody is under fool evacuation. not a whole lot of people left on the island. a lot of people started leaving

last night. probably -- there's a couple restaurants still open. a lot of boats being moved, pulled out of the water. tied up. whatever needs to happen i guess the ferries are still moving pretty well, not a lot of back-up. news crews flying around, it looked like, to me. and it's a beautiful day. here. blue sky. it's a bad day for people to have to leave. it is a dangerous storm, and we are hoping it's not a direct hit. i'm just -- everybody is planning it's going to be some hard northeast wind, good for us. that's about -- >> that's good, ferris. tell me specifically what you're doing to prepare for this storm? your business and your personal

life. >> i've been pulling my boats out, we do parasailing here also, charter fishing and pulling boats out. once they're too big, we tie up. securing all that down. it's been a really good season. you know, it's -- it's a busy weekend. would have been a busy weekend. but -- haven't had a storm in five years, so lucky there. my wife, she's going to be leaving, we have a 14-month-old. and just hope she makes it safe where she is going. >> when are you leaving? >> just wait it out. >> are you going to wait it out or leave? >> i'm going to wait it out. always have. just hope it skirts us, like i was saying, and doesn't -- we don't get a district hit. >> all right, ferris, be careful, okay? be careful.

>> yeah, it's going to make a big turn. i hope it does. >> all right. let's figure out that piece of it right now, farris. hang in there. let's get you the latest information on earl. chad myers is in the -- in our hurricane headquarters. farris is going to try to ride it out, getting his family out of there. and he says a lot of people have heeded the warnings and are moving. and that's good news. >> a lot of people think they can do things during the storm. and maybe if you see a boat that becomes untied or one of the spider ties breaks, whatever, you can go out there and do it. but that's the dangerous time to be out there. i mean, that's just -- you do all that stuff, and just let it alone, and get out of there. if this storm doesn't turn, it's going to continue on this path. that's a really bad path. so we are -- we have been hoping, planning for this turn from about thursday of last week. you know? tony? >> yep. >> when does it turn?

when does it happen? well, finally, the high pressure that has been keeping it south, because the winds have been going this way, instead of this way, finally that high now is at its end, at its wits' end, and so the turn will start to come here. the question is, what happens if it doesn't? what happens if people are really on the shore? at 125 miles per hour, because we're still in the cone here. here's the outer banks. that's outer banks, still inside the cone. and that cone is always what we look at, trying not to look at the line, because the line is still off shore, but the cone touches all the way through ocercoke, and into cape cod. the forecasts turning it into the ocean, but we'll see. this could be a storm that people go, yeah, i don't think so. i think it's going to turn. well, you know, we thought that a long time, didn't we? here's a shot of people enjoying the shore for now. i would say today is the last day. >> okay, chad. man, all right. again, let's treat this a little bit like breaking news. if you get some more information, if you get some new

facts, figures, whatever else, let us know. thanks, chad. >> sure. the u.s. officially begins a new phase of operations in iraq. a ceremony in baghdad today marked the end of the combat mission and the start of support rules for u.s. troops. there was also a change of command, army general lloyd austin iii is commander of u.s. forces in iraq. vice president biden helped preside over the ceremony. >> operation iraqi freedom is over, but american engagement with iraq will continue with the mission that begins today. operation new dawn. as the name suggests, the ceremony not only marks the change of a command, but the start of a different chapter in relationship with iraq. >> you know, for the next 16 months, american troops are

supposed to blend into the background and support roles. cnn's michael holmes now from iraq. >> reporter: officers check their soldiers' readiness. in the background, a u.s. officer watches on. >> let's make sure, as we normally do, make sure they're running through checking their gear -- >> reporter: this is a combined iraqi army checkpoint. but the lessons are the same. what's going on here at a checkpoint like this is a good illustration of the new phase of the u.s. mission here. it is to advise, assist, equip and train. and these guys are having all of that from u.s. troops who are over there every single day. >> we're kind of hitting it from both ends, from the strategic and operational level and then from the tactical level on up, and is hoping that -- at the end, what we'll find is a better-trained force that we are advising and assisting. >> reporter: with u.s. troop numbers now under 50,000 and the

combat phase of the war over, the race is on to make sure iraqi security forces are as ready as possible for the day towards the end of next year when the americans will be gone. >> what we've got right here is how properly to run a checkpoint. within that, there are things, as well. how to search people properly. there is evidence found, how to exploit it properly. >> reporter: the training runs the gamut from what tactics to employ when under attack to lessons in battlefield medical treatments. >> first, you tighten it with your hand as much as you can. >> reporter: recent attacks on iraqi security forces have raised concerns that troops aren't protecting themselves well enough, let alone civilians. the commanders, there is an appetite for more of this training. our soldiers are ready to take over the mission, says this lieutenant of the iraqi army. but, yes, we do need some assistance. his kurdish counterpart agreed. we need to be trained on counterterrorism, he says. but all of this has been very

valuable. and while this is the new phase of the war for the americans, the old face, the combat phase, may have ended in name, but not in reality. this is still a front line, in a very dangerous place. >> it is still dangerous. my unit has tragically had two soldiers killed within the last month. and i do not believe that it will be the last casualty that we see here. >> yeah, so there is daily risk for ied, small arms fire. >> reporter: and those risks will be part of the job over the coming year, as check points like this federally move into iraqi hands without the americans looking on. >> so that means, you know, to the very last day training them so they're best prepared for when we finally leave. >> reporter: michael holmes, cnn, near the iranian border. and back home, u.s. troops face another battle, finding jobs outside the military. i will speak to a director of a firm helping veterans find work. first, though, our random moment in 90 seconds.

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going from the armed forces to the work force. that is the battle now for u.s. troops returning from war. josh levs looks at the rather bleak picture for veterans in their search for jobs. josh. >> yeah, and tony, you have seen some of these numbers. we're going to hash through them, becausis such an ugly picture. unemployment in america in general. when we look specifically at people who have been participating in the recent wars, this is just post 9/11, talking iraq and afghanistan, the numbers are drawn out all the way down for that. nationally right now, our unemployment rate is at 9.5%. and when looking at these recent veterans, going higher than that. it's 11.8% for recent veterans. and you want to see how that changed, a year ago, 9.8%. so what we're seeing is an increase in the unemployment rate specifically among recent veterans. now, that is a big problem.

something to keep in mind about this, the "wall street jounl" pointed out, the truth is a lot of them are young and served in their late teens or early 20s and in general in america, unemployment is actually higher among younger people. so that's part of what we're talking about here, not just them being veterans, but the fact that they're young. in fact, between the ages of 20 and 24, the unemployment rate, tony is at 15.6%. you already have a higher unemployment rate among a lot of people in that able group, that's part of it. that said, a ton needs to be done to help our veterans. >> okay. what's being done to help them? >> well, i'll tell you a few examples. there's a lot going through congress right now. you know the way it works, different things in different places, some take a while to go through. let me talk through some help for jobless veterans inside congress. three things to look at. one is this thing called the work opportunity tax credit. and what it does is offers money to businesses if they will hire a recent veteran. now, $2,400 for hiring veterans. look, twice as much, $4,800 if you hire a disabled veteran. and you have some lawmakers now

that are pushing to extend that. it would expire at the end of this year. they want to make sure it sticks around. two more to mention. one we'll be hearing a lot about, the veterans' employment act, pushes for job training and placement services. this has been working its way kind of through congress for months and months and months. we're waiting for the point that it might actually pass. there's still some steps to go through for that. and the final one involves education. it's the educational assistance act or the full name of it, the veterans' educational assistance improvement act. the idea there is that a lot of these people have skills but not necessarily the skills that the job market is looking for, or haven't been in. a lot of them have never really been in the actual labor market before if they're really young. so this is designed to focus on veterans, give them more training and more education to help take those skills, make them work in the workplace and hopefully find jobs. >> okay. any websites that you were able to pull up that might be helpful? >> yeah, there's actually a bunch of them. i know one that you're familiar with. i think i heard you talking about one earlier,

careeronestop.org. i'll name four and then send them out by at which titweeter. career one stop. also, vet jobs.com, which says veterans make the best employs and focuses on how to make veterans hishl and how businesses find them. also one here that's veteran employment.com, and one more, this is called jobs for vets.com. so, yeah, there are a lot of tools here, if you're one of these people in that situation, or one of your loved ones, you want to check out these sites. i'm at josh levs cnn and will send it out by twitter. >> thank you. we want to focus now on solutions, helping veterans find employment and educational opportunities. that is the mission of robert walker of the ohio-based firm, recruit military. he joins me from cincinnati. robert, it is good to see you again. let's -- >> good morning. >> yeah, good to see you. what services are offered by your organization to help veterans who are looking for work? let's drill down right on it right here, right now. >> gotcha. a lot of great things. first of all, we have a

database, veterans as well as their spouses, can actually go on a register, search jobs as well as post a resume. we have opportunity expos across the country, as well as some online services. and then we also have a print publication, search and employ, where it goes out to the bases and the transitioning centers, so they can see actual job opportunities available to them, as well. >> and how about the biggest obstacles right now for veterans looking to transition. the ones that you talked to. what's the biggest obstacles for them? >> i think one of the biggest ones, i had when i got out of the service in '96 is transitioning current skills into the immediate work force. and that's tough, because i was infantry, and that doesn't really translate to anything, but i had a lot of great soft skills that made me a great employee, not realizing, and some veterans don't know they're employees, they're loyalty and discipline make them great of. >> yeah, and you make a great point here, when you're in the military and in your case in the infantry, one of the things you

wonder now, are the people -- are the young people, the men and the women in the military right now coming out and trying to make this transition, are they trained, generally speaking, in the skills that civilian employers are looking for right now? >> some of them are. of course, if you're a mechanic, you can be a mechanic and get out of the service. a lot of companies nowadays, we have some great employers, hamilton center, are looking for employees that are a match based off their leadership. in the military, you're training on a daily basis. and someone that, you know, you have to adapt quickly. it's not about, hey, are you a quick learner. it's about learning quick. >> yeah. how about the educational component here? we heard the president talking about that last night. is this a time to take advantage of what's being offered by the government to get additional training in the skill sets you need today? >> some are doing that by going to veterans administration. but a lot of them can also use their benefits to the new job

bill, like the devry university and get trained and become more employable. >> terrific. robert, as always, good to see you. thanks for your time on this and thanks for your help. >> thank you guys. inspiring kindergarten students to strive for college, and helping them pay for it. >> how much is this? >> 10. >> $10. >> $10? and do you think if you go to college, do you think it costs more than $10? probably, huh? so you need a lot of these to go to college. >> a college savings account for every kindergartner, courtesy of san francisco taxpayers. ( revving, siren blares ) there's no way to hide it. sir, have you been drinking tonight?

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where you book matters. expedia. let's get you caught up now on top stories. hurricane earl on a steady course toward the u.s. east coast. warnings and evacuation orders in place for the north carolina coast. forecasters don't think it will make a direct hit, but as it side swipes the coast, earl could still cause serious problems. a victory for a tea party favorite in alaska. senator lisa murder could you key is murkowski is conceding victory. actress zsa zsa gabor is back in the hospital after her husband found her unresponsive. doctors say it is not life-threatening. the 93-year-old has had complications since hip replacement surgery. more top stories in 20 minutes.

fix our schools. those three words are driving much of what you see on cnn this week. because as america's children return to school, cnn has a mission. we have sent reporting teams across the country to document the education crisis in america. most importantly, we will shine a light on success stories that can empower us to offer our children so much more than they're getting right now. san francisco has a unique plan to inspire kindergarten students to strive for college. and to help them pay for it. the story now from cnn's dan simon. >> what would college be? is it a sport? >> it's a school. >> it's a school. well done. >> reporter: san francisco's mayor gavin newsome doing a grass classroom show and tell with 5 years old. >> how much is this? >> $10. >> and do you think if you go to college it costs more than $10? probably, huh? so you need a lot of these to go to college. >> reporter: the mayor has come to this elementary school, because starting this year,

every kindergartner here will get a college savings account, courtesy of city taxpayers. >> we have never heard of anything like this before. >> no, to your knowledge, it hasn't been done in the united states. and what a nice backdrop, in the midst of everybody talking about budget cuts and constrains. >> reporter: the program, which will take a couple years to fully implement is modest. children get $50 to start, $100 for lower income children. one of the goals is to get families to save. as an added incentive, a private foundation will contribute $100 for every child whose family saves $100 at least for the first few years. >> we know that 50 or $100 even after 12 years of interest and compounding, it's still not going to be enou happen is the families need to step in, families, relatives, friends, they need to help and augment those savings so they grow year after year after year and that's what gives a child a chance to have enough money to go to college. >> one of the main ideas behind this program is just to get children thinking about college at a very young age.

city officials like to point to a study from washington university in st. louis that found that children who just had some money set aside for college were seven times more likely to go. this latino father says he wants to send his two children to college, but like many parents, hasn't saved for it, and is intimidated by the costs. >> when you're unemployed, and not working for five months, it's kind of hard to think about saving. >> one half of the community in san francisco doesn't even have access to a checking account or savings account, but their child has that. and now it's being matched by the private sector. and stanford university, the gates foundation, are going to do an independent analysis to see if this works. and other members of the community are going to say, you know what, i would love to contribute. you watch. this thing will take off. and all of a sudden, we'll deal with that one limiting belief and that is, i can't afford college. >> reporter: the program would have to survive budget th negotiations each year, but at a cost of $200,000 this year-out

of a $6 billion budget, the dollars seem minuscule. especially if it works. that, of course, we won't know for many years, until these children reach college age. dan simon, cnn, san francisco. and, of course, we want to hear from you. tell us how you would fix our schools. you can send a comment by twitter, i-report, or at our blog page, cnn.com/tony. president obama meets with israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. a live report from the white house.

a key middle east leaders meeting separately today with president obama at the white house. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, mahmoud abbas , and the leaders of egypt getting set for direct peace talks. suzanne malveaux joining us now. and suzanne, let's talk about the schedule a bit here. my understanding is we may get some take soon of statements. >> yes. it's happening right now, because the tape is being fed out. and i've just had a chance -- a quick second, to listen to what was going on. we heard from the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu with the president who called the talks direct and open and productive. that's the only thing i was able to listen to before we jumped here on camera. but that is something that we're getting information now. and they're going to quickly turn that tape, tony, so we're going to be able to hear that in a couple moments or so. this is a change in the president's schedule. it was not scheduled these two

leaders would appear to make statements before cameras. and so clearly, all sides here are trying to show that there is some progress that's being made, that there is some serious work that is getting done. before it was just going to be a picture of the two leaders, a still photo. now we are actually going to be getting some updates on how these meetings are going. we know that the two leaders met around 10:45 this morning or so. they are now making those statements to reporters. the next meeting on the agenda on the president's agenda is going to be with the palestinian leader, mahmud abbas, and later with jordan's king abdullah, and egypt. all leaders in town for the next couple days to try to jumpstart the peace talks. and one of the major obstacles here, tony, that we're looking at is whether or not the israelis will continue to build settlements in the west bank. there's been a ten-month moratorium on that, with ybut t question is whether netanyahu will go ahead and allow it to

expire, which is going to happen in a month or so or whether he is going to say, look, i think the restriction is going to stay in place as the palestinians would like. >> you're right. the moratorium does expire at the end of the month, the 26th. when we get the tape, let's turn it around and we'll watch it together. suzanne malveaux at the white house for us. unemployment takes a toll at the dealer showroom. gm reports sales skidded in august, but you know what, we've got good numbers on wall street today. yeah, it can be a little negative, but we've got some good news, as well. the dow up over 200 points. the cnn money team has the numbers on car sales coming up in just a minute. medicare car, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp...

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all right. let's get you to cnnmoney.com. and there's all kinds of financial news, as you would expect. but, boy, we've got new figures on the car sector coming in, the automobile sector coming in right now, and it's -- there you go. talk about a potential rally killer. look at this. ford, gm numbers, let's get you to the big board now. we are off of session highs. we are still looking really good, though. 234, 235 points in the nasdaq. that's up too. up 56 points. what is apple saying today? car sales today. you had a look at the numbers. pretty dismal. stephanie elam joining us now from new york. and stephanie, boy, you can't get any momentum here. we've got a good rally going. the bulls are running like crazy. and then you've the got that over your shoulder. >> yeah, maybe we should go out and buy a bull instead of a car. i don't know. or pain that's maybe that's what

people are doing. i don't know. august sales could be the slowest in more than 25 years. gm sales, they fell 25% from last august. now, remember, last year, remember that's when we had that hugely successful cash for clunkers program. there's no such beast this year. so that's part of the reason for the drop-off. taking a look at ford sales, they fell 11%. but chrysler sales actually rose 7%. and we watch all these auto sales, because it says a lot about how confident people are. and with so much uncertainty about jobs and home values, people are holding off making any kind of big-ticket purchases and that's despite some decent deals out there right now. the average vehicle incentive more than $2,800 last month, up 1% from july. but in this economy, a lot of buyers are opting for used cars over new ones. and that's actually making them a lot more expensive. used cars are selling for the highest average price in at least seven years, tony. >> so if you want to price out a new car right now, does it pay just to sort of wait?

what do you think? >> well, not according to he had mupds.com. if you listen to them. they say if you're in the market, the best deal of the year is going to be in the next 30 days, because dealers are getting 2011 models, so they want to clear out those 2010s. and so if you want to wait until october, november, well, he had mopds says you're going to have less selection there. so you could get stuck choosing between some colors that you don't want, some things you don't want, either. so you'll find the best deals on models that have been redesigned like the chevy silverado and the ford f series, and might find a discount on the 2010 hybrids. now that gas prices have stabilized, they're not flying off the lot like 2008. >> is the tape ready? let's get to the president of the united states, and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. >> efforts to advance the cause of peace between israelis and palestinians throughout the middle east. i'm going to have more to say

about today's meetings not only with prime minister netanyahu, but with the other participants of the talks here in the rose garden later this afternoon. but i did want to specifically take some time out to speak to the people of israel and to the region about the senseless slaughter that took place near hebron yesterday. there are going to be extremists and rejectionists who rather than seeking peace are going to be seeking destruction. and the tragedy that we saw yesterday where people were gunned down on the street by terrorists who are purposely trying to undermine these talks is an example of what we're up

against. but i want everybody to be very clear. united states is going to be unwavering in its support of israel's security, and we are going to push back against these kinds of terrorist activities. and so the message should go out to hamas and everybody else who is taking credit for these heinous crimes that this is not going to stop us from not only ensuring a secure israel, but also securing a longer-lasting peace in which people throughout the region can take a different course. i also want to express the deepest condolences of the american people to the families of those who were gunned down. and i want to thank prime minister netanyahu during a very dfl difficult time for his country still being so committed

to the cause of peace that he brings today. >> thank you, mr. president, for expressing what i think is the sentiment of decent people everywhere in the face of this savagery and brutality. four innocent people were gunned down and seven new orphans were added by people who have no respect for human life or trample human rights into the dust. and butcher everything that they oppose. i think that the president's statement is an expression of our desire to fight against this terror, and the talks that we had, which were indeed open, productive, serious in the quest for peace also centered around the need to have security

arrangements that are able to roll back this kind of terror and other threats to israel's security. that is a fundamental almost, an important foundation of the piece that we seek and work for. and i appreciate, mr. president, your efforts to advance this peace for us and for our neighbors, for our region. and i think we can say for the world. thank you. >> thank you. >> and let me just say that i will be meeting with president abbas this afternoon. he condemned this ragist attack as well. i have the utmost confidence in him, and his belief in a two-state solution in which the people of israel and the palestinians are living side by side in peace and security. and so i'm also grateful to him for his presence here today. we've got a lot of work to do. there are going to be those who are going to do everything they

can to undermine these talks, but we are going to remain stalwart, and so to prime minister netanyahu and to prime minister -- and to president abbas, as well as to president mubadak. and king abdullah of jordan. i'm very grateful for their participation, and i will have a longer discussion about that this afternoon, after my meetings. thank you. very interesting. very, very interesting. let's bring in our white house correspondent, suzanne malveaux, on the heels of this statement by these two leaders. and suzanne, i think you can make a case here that as this was negatives to the president's -- in addition to the president's schedule, you can make a case that this was arranged so that the president, with netanyahu at his side, could express his outrage and his sentiments over the attack yesterday near hebron. >> tony, you're exactly right. this is so important for all sides to condemn those attacks.

because essentially, they are very fearful that these kinds of attacks will undermine these kinds of talks from moving forward. it was interesting. the president came out and condemned them. of you had obviously and expectedly, prime minister netanyahu also expressing regret and concern. but a back story, as well, the palestinian leader, mahmoud abbas, a source telling me yesterday he was at his hotel, he was privately meeting with secretary of state hillary clinton in the hotel when they both found out at the same time about this attack from hamas against these four israeli settlers. and according to this source, that is when mahmoud abbas quite angered and frustrated by it, put out a written statement, condemning this. we also saw secretary clinton coming out before the cameras, condemning this. there is a real fear and concern among mahmud abbas that this is kind of thing that is going to undermine his power at home at the west bank if he cannot

control these kinds of things that happened with ah- hamas an gaza at the west bank. we know the top priority for israel officials is security. they're not willing to go beyond that. until they dress security, they're not going to address things like the border, jerusalem, some of the other main issues they want to talk about. that's why you're going to see all sides very strongly condemning that attack in the hopes they can move forward. because it's not going to move forward until they address that, tony. >> and suzanne very quickly, the president mentioned another opportunity from another statement from the rose garden this afternoon. was that always on the schedule? or is that negatives, as well in addition as well? he seemed to indicate mahmoud abbas will be there, as well. >> he is going to address all the reporters in the rose garden, that it was just going to be the president. i don't know if we'll see abbas or netanyahu joining him. that would be a very powerful

picture, because in previous administrations, bush and clinton and previous informal summits, there were times when abbas, netanyahu and others wouldn't even shake hands here at the white house, would stand very stiffly, and not even turn towards each other. so body language means a lot, as well. we'll have to take a look and see what happens later today, tony. there is going to be a lot in interesting mahmud abbas condemn the attacks, the hamas attacks on camera, as opposed to a statement. i would think there would be some momentum-building to see mahmud abbas to make a statement, condemning the attacks on camera. >> that would be a much stronger statement than what he has done already, this written statement. but i have to tell you, tony, just to put it in context here, it was rather rare that you would have mahmud abbas coming out and condemning this type of attack, because they feel that it's not legal to have these type of settlements, israeli settlements on the disputed west bank land. and the fact that he came out at

all was something that we don't normally see in condemning those attacks. so we'll see how far he takes it. i think it's a very interesting point, tony. >> suzanne malveaux at the white house for us, thanks for your help. cnn, your hurricane headquarters. we are tracking the big storm for you in the cnn "newsroom."

chad, i don't even want to fool around. let's just show everybody everything -- put everything at it. what we have on earl, where it's going, intensity of it, everything. >> 125 miles per hour. >> yeah. >> so it's not a category 4 anymore. it's still a big category 3. 125. still waiting for the turn. >> the turn. >> tony, let me show you this. this is from our friends at storm polls.com. they've got a great website. you can show -- there's the cone, all the models in between. and then this line right here. everybody asks, what's this line? that line right there -- >> what is that? >> what is that line right there? that line is the current track of where this thing is heading. not going, but heading. that's the direction it's moving, if it doesn't turn.

that's savannah. there's charleston. there's wilmington. let's hope it turns. okay. because if the forecast is for all the models to turn it. if it doesn't turn, the entire southeast coast is under the gun for something. and sometimes, tony, they don't turn. >> that's right. >> sometimes we just think -- and this thing is supposed to turn ten days ago, it hasn't turned. so is i'm watching it every minute to see if we get that wigglel or wobble to the north. >> we need it. >> i know. don't let your guard down. >> thanks, chad. >> sure. those 33 men trapped deep inside a mine in chile have sent out another video, and they may get their first hot meals later today. we're going to get you an update. 20 minutes later, she'll bring one into the world in seattle. later today, she'll help an accident victim in kansas. how can one nurse be in all these places? through the nurses she taught in this place. johnson & johnson knows, behind every nurse who touches a life... there's a nurse educator...

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there is new video from 33 men trapped deep inside a collapsed copper and gold mine in chile. a frantic drilling effort is under way to save them right now. cnn's karl penhaul is there. and karl, describe this new video and what we learn about the men and their condition right now from the video. >> reporter: well, i think the first things first, tony. what we can see between this video and the video that the miners sent up last thursday appeared to be a dramatic improvement in conditions. the miners have already -- we can see from this video, received some of the camp beds, the military style cots that have been send down below, and they have been given to the smaller miners first, and then

the youngest also get beds, as well. we can see the miners dressed in red sports t-shirts, blue shorts, and rubber boots instead of their steel-toe capped work boots. dry clothing, no longer bare-chested. some have also had a shave. and in the backgrounds, we can hear some music playing, merengue tropical dance music. some speakers have been sent down. and the miners certainly have the strength to joke and laugh, because they say, well, we're very happy, super happy that music has arrived. we're here organizing for today's party. as well, though, the miners on a serious note send sincere thanks to the rescuers above, knowing the drilling has started. they say they know this will be a long job, we will be patient, and we will be here far as long as it takes for you to get us out. but certainly a dramatic improvement in spirits, and this

is what the doctors and psychologists are pointing to. they believe that if it carries on like this, they can get the miners through this ordeal, tony. >> let's hope they can stay positive. karl penhaul for us. appreciate it. thank you. would you believe it if i told you, a golfer's swing set off a fire that required 150 firefighters and a helicopter to put out? talk about what's hot. let's find out why. this malibu is sharp, has great mileage and offers onstar. the hundred thousand mile powertrain warranty caught my attention. it's the chevrolet summer event, which means the only thing left to decide is who drives it home. me! her. me! qualified lessees now get a low mileage lease on this malibu ls, a consumers digest best buy, for around $199 a month. call for details. the switch begins at chevydealer.com. ♪ now the healing power of touch just got more powerful.

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ines is back. yay! a tweet that gets a sports writer suspended. apple about to make a big announcement. what they'll thing. and then a golfer whose sing sets off a forest fire? >> in california. >> that's what's hot. >> yeah, and we're going to show you pictures of that. >> okay. >> so this golfer's swing, accidentally, he chips a rock, and that creates a spark. a 12-acre blaze. the fire was put out by 150 firemen, helicopters. oh, the whole thing. can you believe a swing like

that -- >> well, i've got a bad swing, but it's not doing that kind of damage. okay. all right. >> this next one is the "washington post" has suspended mike weise, a sports writer who tweeted about ben roethlisberger and said he would be suspended for five games instead of six, because he's going to be meeting with the nfl commissioner. what's the problem? >> the problem is it was a bogus tweet. >> what do you mean, bogus? >> well, it wasn't true. >> he made it up? >> he says he tweeted that to see who was going to pick it up and if media was going to get second source on that, how fast this would pick up online. anyhow, suspended for 30 days. and this next one is from apple. so apple will -- they will or won't announce. >> what is that, in an hour or so? >> 1:00. at 1:00, they're going to have their annual meeting, and we'll see what they announce. >> all right. back in a moment. you're in the cnn "newsroom." i want to know why. i want to know why my hair is falling out.

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